


you're everything i need (but so is she)

by reijners



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, F/M, Love Triangles, Open to Interpretation, implied one-sided redky if you squint, ricky is not doing well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:40:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24312892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reijners/pseuds/reijners
Summary: he's content with that. as long as he has nini, he’ll be okay.but then there’s gina.•••the one in which ricky bowen is in love with two people at once
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	you're everything i need (but so is she)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is both rina and rini, and the ending is open for interpretation! you can take it any way you like, no matter what you ship.
> 
> follow me on twitter (@ butterflywylie)

nini.

he threads a lock of her brown hair around his fingers as she gasps about some crazy ending to the book she’s been reading. her eyes meet his, and ricky sees the same thing he’s always seen.

comfort. safety. stability.

nini is all of those things and so much more. and of course, she’s easy. simple. sure, they had their fair share of drama, but he knows he can count on her to bring him back to the familiar routine they’ve always shared.

life is full of flashes of pain and whirlwinds of change and broken hearts and hellos and goodbyes and temporary hearts but nini...nini won’t leave. nini is a shelter in the middle of all of this.

he should be content with it. well, he is content with it. he is content with lying next to nini on her bed for the rest of the time, just the two of them, guarded from the world.

but - 

“babe?” nini mutters, a trace of concern evident in her voice. “you look...not okay?”

“i’m fine!” ricky huffs. nini bites her lip. ricky sighs. “i’m fine.”

“you just have that look on your face. the one that you get when you’re thinking too hard.” nini points out.

ricky doesn’t have anything to say. he turns on his side, staring at the familiar pattern on nini’s wall.

“i don’t know. i don’t know what to do.”

nini knows. she knows him too well to pretend like everything’s okay. she knows what else - who else - is on his mind. and it hurts, but it’s okay, because all she really wants - all she’s ever wanted - is for ricky to be okay.

a little while later, ricky’s dad texts him that dinner is ready, and ricky gets up from nini’s bed, but not before a quick goodbye kiss. the kiss is soft, sweet, and breathtaking at the same time - everything that nini is.

he is content with that, forever. as long as he has nini, he’ll be okay.

but then there’s gina.

••••••••••

“did you sleep enough last night?”

“yes, i - “

“no, you didn’t.” gina mutters, giving him a pointed look.

ricky rests his head on his palm. “life’s been kinda crazy lately.”

“but when is it not?” she retorts.

ricky laughs, and then shuts his eyes for a moment. the sweet scent of the coffee shop they’re sitting in and the joyful chatter of people around him relax his mind.

gina and ricky were never a part of each other’s orbit. they had their own patterns - ricky was juggling a crazed home life and a nini revolving love life, while gina was leaping around schools, capturing hearts but never letting anybody capture hers, for the sake of her own safety.

then their planets collided, and now gina’s staying at east high and her heart has been stolen by a certain curly haired boy, but she’s not sure if she’s stolen his too - or if that role still belongs to nini.

she knows ricky - even though ricky has only been in her life for a short amount of time - because she sees herself in him. he’s scared and struggling and he needs something stable to hold on to. and nini - nini gives him that. gina is so glad that ricky has nini. they’re happy together, and that makes gina happy.

except there’s one part of her that isn’t happy. there’s one part of her that’s selfish, and longs for her own fairy tale ending. maybe she’d be able to suppress that part of her...but maybe ricky doesn’t want her to.

she’s caught the stolen glimpses ricky looks at her, different from the way he looks at nini, but with the same amount of passion. she knows.

“i’ll get you coffee.”

ricky looks up. “hm?”

“you need it, if you’re going to get through school today.”

“you’re the best.”

gina gets up, and returns a few minutes later with two hot cups of caramel flavored coffee. she passes one to ricky, who flashes her the same worn out smile he’s been wearing for a while.

“something been on your mind lately?” she inquires. “you seem off.”

“just...stuff.” he sighs. he doesn’t have to say any more.

gina smiles, and picks up her own cup, letting the sugary liquid spill into her mouth. she swallows, warmth coursing through her. “you’ll be okay.”

“but…”

“ricky. you’ll be okay.”

••••••••••

a little while later, gina has left the coffee shop to make it to school on time. ricky stays. he doesn’t feel like going to first period today.

he looks across the table, at the spot where gina was just sitting. she’s gone now. that’s the thing about gina - one second she’s here...and then she’s not. she can’t give the promise of forever.

ricky is the same. all the changes in his life have made commitment so hard for him. he’s not good at forever - but nini is. that’s why he has her. she balances their relationship out.

but gina...gina offers something else. ricky can’t count on her to keep him in safe waters like nini does, but he can count on her for a hand to hold as they navigate the tidal waves together.

••••••••••

ricky stumbles through the hallways at the end of the school day, looking for red. he’s sleeping over at red’s house tonight, thankfully - he needs an escape from everything.

“ricky?” a voice sounds from behind him, but it’s not red.

nini is standing there, her hands clasped and lips pursed. “can we...talk?”

the hallway has started to thin out, leaving them standing there. 

“what is there to talk about?” he whispers dryly.

“if you don’t want to be with me -“

“no. don’t go there.”

“if you don’t want to be with me, i get it.”

“what if i don’t know what i want?” ricky groans, pressing his palms into his eyes. he needs a break.

“i know what you want. you want me - but you want gina too.” nini states plainly.

hearing her say it makes him feel unsteady. she knows. it’s real. he can’t pretend like he has everything under control anymore,

nini steps closer to him, and kisses him on the cheek, quickly but confidently. “you’ll be okay.” she says, and it’s not the first time he’s heard those words that day. 

maybe there’s some truth to them.

••••••••••

big red picks up the last jelly bean from the bag they’ve been sharing and flicks it at ricky’s face.

ricky’s eyes dart over to his best friend in annoyance as it hits his face. “dude!” he scowls, before picking up the jelly bean and popping it into his mouth. “mmm, strawberry. thanks, man.”

big red laughs and rolls his eyes. “sorry. you just seem -”

“i seem what? lost? sleep-deprived? overthinking? i’ve been hearing that a lot lately.” ricky grumbles.

“being in love with two people at once really is weighing down on you, huh?”

those words cause a hint of shock to zip through ricky. “what? how do you - wha -”

“oh, i don’t know, it’s not like i’m your best friend or anything.” red rolls his eyes. “cmon, rick! i know you better than anyone else in the world! i can tell when something’s wrong with you, even if you try to hide it from me.”

ricky flops down on the ground. “i don’t know what to do. i don’t know anything.”

red laughs. “oh, ricky. you don’t understand.”

“huh?”

“you think you’re hurting them, but the only person you’re hurting is yourself.”

“i’m fine.”

“no, you’re not. you’re overthinking and scaring yourself and beating yourself up and you need to stop. as someone who cares about you, i’m telling you to stop.”

ricky lets these words sink on. “but what if i do hurt them?.”

“they’ll be okay with it. if they truly love you, they’ll want you to be at their happiest, even if it means watching you be with someone else...” red says, trailing off. a faraway look takes over his eyes. “trust me. i’d know.”

“i’m sorry.” ricky blurts out.

“huh?”

“i’m sorry that you have to deal with me. you’re so simple and i’m so...complicated.”

“i’m not simple!” red laughs, crossing his arms defensively. “i have layers! and...dark secrets!”

“yeah, right. i know all your secrets.” ricky shoots back.

“not all of them.” red mumbles, his voice barely audible.

••••••••••

ricky knows what he has to do.

maybe it was his conversation with red. maybe it’s the layers of dread and dullness looming over him for days that he wants to shake off. maybe he’s just tired of playing it safe.

but he knows. he knows

he picks up the phone, waiting to hear the voice on the other end.

“ricky?”

“can i come over tomorrow night?”

“but-”

“please.”

“...okay.”

••••••••••

the glitter of the stars illuminates the otherwise dark sidewalk as ricky makes his way to the door.

he knocks once, twice, and then a familiar face shows up.

he smiles, clearing his throat. “i told you i was coming over tonight, didn’t i?”

she smiles back, and any fear lingering in the corner of his mind goes away. “yeah. i just...didn’t know why. i love spending time with you, but everything’s been so weird with you latel-”

“it’s you.” he blurts out, and her dark eyes flicker up to meet his. he grabs one of her hands, tracing over the soft skin. “you...i...i choose you, okay?”

“but what about her?”

“i love her. i have so much love inside of me, believe me, but you’re the one that makes me understand what the point of all that love is. i’m tired of hiding behind my fear and pushing you away in the process.” he whispers. “i choose you. so believe me when i say you’re my one and only, please, okay?”

she cups both of his cheeks with her hands. “i told you you’d be okay.” is the last thing she says before pushing her lips against his.

and for what feels like forever, it’s just them, standing on the doorway under the moonlight as they hold each other with their arms and lips.


End file.
